Clifftop Side Trail

In Mono Cliffs Provincial Park, the Niagara Escarpment runs along the 4.5 kilometre (three mile) length of the park and rises to a height of over 500 metres (1640 feet) above sea level. Throughout its trail system, you walk through a glacial spillway separating two isolated rock outliers from the main escarpment, pass deep crevice caves, and walk on top of 40 metre (131 foot) cliffs. Part of the trail system is formed by old roads and carriage trails.

Along with stonewalls, scattered orchard trees and farmstead ruins, there are remains of a local Irish settlement that grew to 2,200 by 1850. The hike begins on the park's Carriage Trail, then connects with the main Bruce Trail and heads north. When you reach the blue blazes, continue on the Clifftop Side Trail. At each intersection, stay to your left to continue on this trail. A viewing platform further along the trail offers a grand view of the outliers, cliff face, and spillway stretching below.

With file information from the Bruce Trail, for more information on this and other Bruce trails please purchase the Bruce Trail map and trail guidebook. The Bruce Trail is the oldest and longest marked hiking trail in Canada. It is 840 km long, with over 440 km of side trails. Every year more than 400,000 visits are made to the Trail as people walk, snowshoe, watch wildlife, take photographs and admire the glorious scenery of the Escarpment.



The Bruce Trail was instrumental in the Escarpment being named a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations in 1990 - one of only twelve such reserves in all of Canada. The Bruce Trail is a member of the Ontario Trails Council through affiliation with Hike Ontario.

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